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PAHS welcomes Air Force sergeant as speaker for graduation

PUNXSUTAWNEY — The Punxsutawney Area School District will hold commencement exercises for the Class of 2011 at 7 p.m. Tuesday at a location — Jack LaMarca Memorial Field or the PAHS auditorium, in the event of inclement weather — to be determined.

Buterbaugh, the son of Joe of Rose Buterbaugh of Big Run, currently serves as Chief of quality assurance and standardization and evaluations, 318th Information Operations Group, Lackland Air Force Base, Texas (AFSPC), where he provides counsel to the group commander on all matters regarding standardization, evaluation and quality assurance of cyber support operations and testing.

He is also responsible for testing and evaluating, personnel and procedures to ensure functionality and effectiveness, determining what process modifications are needed, and providing after action reports for review and consideration by group leadership.

Additionally, Buterbaugh is tasked with development and implementation of mission position, and employee inspection and evaluation criteria to ensure compliance with higher headquarters, directives, policies, and procedures in support of the Air Force’s global cyber operations mission.

Buterbaugh entered the Air Force in September 1991, starting his career as a services specialist in various positions from food service specialist to outdoor recreation specialist.

In June 1997, he chose to re-train into the Communications Computer Systems Operations Career Field and has served in numerous challenging positions as a communications-operations operator serving as lead tactical switch operator, NCOIC Standards Evaluations, squadron superintendent, and career assistance advisor.

His assignments include bases in New York, Alaska, Georgia, Utah, South Korea, and currently Texas.

Buterbaugh has been deployed overseas three times to Cuba, Guam and Oman, in support of Operations GITMO, Pacific Haven and Desert Thunder.
Prior to assuming his current position, Buterbaugh served as the career assistance advisor at Kunsan Air Force Base, Republic of Korea.

School offers telecast, Webcast of commencement

PUNXSUTAWNEY — Area residents unable to attend commencement for the Class of 2011 at Punxsutawney Area High School will have expanded opportunities to watch the event live on cable television and streaming video on the Internet.

The staff of the Instructional Technology (IT) Department, under the direction of Gerald Gigliotti, will broadcast the event to enable local audiences, as well as those at far distant locations, to see the ceremonies.

Comcast subscribers can tune in to Channel 18, but this year, the availability of technology will also expand the offerings to anyone with access to a computer and the Internet.

Commencement exercises will take place at 7 p.m. Tuesday. David Lishinsky and Mike McMahan, technical directors, will be assisted by student cameramen, John Gigliotti and Tommy Renwick.

Those planning to view the event on a computer should go to the Punxsutawney Area School District Web site, www.punxsy.k12.pa.us and click Announcements and then Commencement to view the streaming video.
The district will also make a recording of the proceedings, which will then be accessible for the next two weeks through a link on the PASD Web site.